Petit Tonnerre

The most recent of those victories came at Punchestown in May 2025, but the one that really caught the eye was at Doncaster in January of the same year. Jockey Richie McLernon described a horse that was almost impossible to stop — jumping well, digging in under pressure, never once thinking about giving up. The key detail was pace: Doncaster that day was run at a fierce gallop, and that is exactly what Petit Tonnerre needs. Give it a truly searching test and it responds. That is a useful thing to know about a horse.

Jonjo O'Neill Jr has been in the saddle for 21 of those 28 races and has won once together — a 5% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 21 rides. That sounds modest, but it reflects the company this horse keeps rather than any failing on the jockey's part. The yard behind it — run by Jonjo & A J O'Neill out of Cheltenham — has sent out 51 winners this season alone, so this is a professional, well-resourced operation that knows what it is doing.

The current form line reads 13-7-5-6-9 across the last five completed races, and the horse has not won in its most recent six outings. That is a stretch worth acknowledging. But the trainer's view, given ahead of this season, was genuinely optimistic — those Doncaster and Punchestown victories were described as very pleasing, and a troubled run at Ascot on its comeback was put down to bad luck rather than any loss of ability. Petit Tonnerre raced just yesterday, so whatever comes next is already close. For a horse that has twice won at the highest level and clearly retains the appetite for a fight, it would be unwise to write it off entirely.